Francis Beaufort was born in Ireland in 1774, and went to sea in 1787. He took command of HMS Woolwich in 1805.
His seagoing career ended in 1812 when he was severely wounded in an encounter with Turks while surveying the coast of Asia Minor.
After convalescence, he pursued a number of scientific interests until, in 1829, he was appointed Hydrographer of the Navy. At the time,
he held the rank of captain. In 1831, Beaufort commissioned the celebrated voyage of the Beagle. During the voyage (December 1831 to
October 1836), Beaufort's scale of wind force was used officially for the first time. Beagle's commander, Robert FitzRoy, subsequently
became, in 1854, the first director of the body now known as the Met Office.
Beaufort was made a rear-admiral on the retired list in 1846, served as Hydrographer until 1855 and died in 1857.